May 02 2008
Fly Day- Friday: The Hornberg
For all of you fishermen, and women, out there who wish to catch fish, the Hornberg is a wonderful fly to have in your arsenal when on the stream. People are not sure exactly when this fly was first fabricated. Some people believe it was some time in the 1930’s. What everybody knows, however, is that it has been filling creels ever since. The original Hornberg was tied to be a Caddis fly imitator, tied on hooks as small as a #14 dry fly hook. Some believe the fly evolved from a dry fly to a streamer after a tying instructor had tied the fly on a larger hook in order to better show the fly to his pupil. Then in turn, fished with it and discovered its greatness. Regardless, the fly has, over time, been altered from a caddis fly, to imitating a small minnow.
The Hornberg is extraordinarily effective do to two major characteristics: the transparency of its body, and the movement of the head due to the hackle. The first characteristic of the Hornberg, its specially designed body, begins to take form whenever the fly is wet. When introduced to water, the body of the fly, constructed with mallard flank feathers, turns translucent, revealing the gold and yellow underbody of the fly, thus giving the effect of a minnow’s semitransparent body.
The second key characteristic of this streamer, that makes is so irresistible to trout, takes effect only if the streamer is in motion. When the fly is being moved throughout the stream, from either natural current, or the result of movement by the person fly fishing, the hackle on the head of the streamer moves with the water and gives the effect of gill movement. Such realistic movement, combined with the realistically transparent body, the fly is appealing to any trout.
When fishing the Hornberg as a streamer, as opposed to the originally intended purpose of being a dry fly caddis, it can be used in almost any circumstances. I have found in the past that it is most effectively used in shallow water with a rocky riverbed. It is also very productive on the downstream sides of rapid currents and along the edge of shadows cast by trees on the banks of the stream. Trout tend to rest in the shadows cast over the edges of streams due to the fact that those areas of water remain coolest throughout the day. Along with the shadows, another great spot to present the streamer is on the downstream sides of rocks, rapids, logs, or any other obstruction to the flow of water. There are three primary reasons why trout enjoy such places: oxygen, energy consumption, and food.
These three essentials for fish are very simple concepts, yet affect their entire livelihood. Such things as rocks, logs, and any other object that hinders direct water flow, causes the water to churn, acting as a natural aerator, allowing the oxygen levels in the water to increased on the downstream side of such objects. These obstructions also tend to cause natural eddies in the water in which the fish can sit without having to exert energy to remain in place, thus allowing them to conserve energy for more important activities such as eating, and keeping from being eaten. The last of the three advantages that is provided by stream obstructions is food availability. Due to eddies, the fish can rest easily in one place, while food (nymphs, spinners, etc.) float downstream to it.
Now that we understand where to fish the Hornberg, it is important to understand the when and how to fish it. Let’s start with the when. In the past I have found that the Hornberg is an all weather streamer, effective on the sunny days, yet also productive in the rain. It tends to work all year around as well. The only time the Hornberg loses its effectiveness is at night, when there is no light to illuminate the body and allow for its transparent design to take effect.
When fishing the Hornberg, motion is the key, and the hackled head will help. The Hornberg streamer is designed to imitate a minnow swimming throughout the water. If you have ever watched a minnow, you know that they move in quick short non-rhythmic movements. This pattern, or lack thereof, is important to mimic, and can be done so quite easily. However you choose to fish this fly, whether using a “quarter turn sweep,” or by simply fishing it directly downstream from you, it is important to remember that presentation is not so important with this fly; all the work comes when retrieving the fly. You can effectively imitate the minnows swim by stripping your line in using short sudden jerks, retrieving about 6 inches of line at a time. Fish will usually strike during the pause between jerks, so be ready to set that hook at all times!
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